Courtesy: Washington Post
In what was slated to be a tough back-to-back set for the Washington Capitals, it turned out to be just that with a shootout loss to the Phoenix Coyotes 4-3 Saturday and a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche Sunday.
It’s always tough to play in consecutive nights, but it was clear that the Capitals were simply gassed against the Avalanche from their marathon against the Coyotes that never should have been.
Dropping a game due to two late third period goals that lead to a shootout loss was inexcusable against Phoenix, but Washington allowed themselves to beat themselves once again as they turned on cruise control instead of finishing the hockey game. It has been a problem with Washington all year: effort.
You can’t coach it. You can’t preach it enough. The guys either have it or they don’t. When you face two upper-class teams like the Coyotes and the Avalanche, you want to put out your best efforts from the first minute until the final horn sounds or else, you will lose. That’s what happened to the Capitals this past weekend and it’s something Adam Oates had to address with his guys at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex Monday.
Finishing teams off comes down to who wants it more… playing from behind against a superior opponent also asks this same question.
Sunday was a real gut-wrenching loss as the Capitals have looked lost against the best the Western Conference has to offer this season as they are 0-2 against Colorado and have lost by a combined score of 9-2. You would have thought after mustering just one point against the Coyotes the previous night, the Capitals would have come out inspired to try and steal one on the road against Patrick Roy’s Avalanche. That didn’t happen.
One of the overarching issues with this Capitals team thus far has been they start slow and finish slower. Colorado jumped out to a 1-0 lead, much like Phoenix did Saturday night. Then, as per usual, Washington came back in the second period, their best period of the year, to make things interesting. However, in the third, they let themselves down as they failed to close out what could have been two solid two-point efforts against two good hockey teams. While the Capitals never lead versus the Avalanche, Colorado had nine giveaways that kept them Washington in more than maybe they should have been in the game.
It’s not the special teams letting down the Capitals as much as it is their play at full-strength. Yes, Washington’s power play went a whopping 2/11 this weekend and their penalty kill 2/9, but they struggle when both teams find themselves at 5-on-5 which makes you wonder just how reliant they are on the special teams plays. Those types of opportunities don’t come around that often, but when they do, the Capitals are normally successful in cashing in. When they aren’t, they lose… plain and simple.
Going forward, Washington will have to continue to spread the puck around and see more contributions all across the board from lines one to four. Defensively, puckwatching still remains an issue as defenders find themselves flatfooted when opposing attackers penetrate Washington’s own zone. It’s not the goalies as both Braden Holtby and Michael Neuvirth have been stellar for the most part when called upon. Sometimes, little things like skating backwards and puck possession in the opposing zone make a difference in who wins and who loses.
